State College Board approves fee hike for Ole Miss, Mississippi State

JACKSON, Mississippi -- The state College Board has approved a request from Mississippi's two largest universities to impose a $50-a-semester fee on their students.

The board agreed Thursday with a recommendation from a committee that the proposal by the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University be approved.

Leaders of the schools say they need money for buildings.

In Ole Miss' case, that's a $50 million renovation and expansion of its student union.

MSU plans a combination classroom and parking garage at the price of $37 million.

Charges would not apply to University of Mississippi Medical Center students in Jackson or to Mississippi State online students. Ole Miss estimates its fee would generate $1.83 million annually, while MSU estimates it would collect $1.7 million.

The extra $100 a year would be added next fall atop the tuition increase that the College Board has already approved for Ole Miss, bringing in-state costs to $6,640 next fall. That would be 7.4 percent more than $6,151 in-state students are paying this year. At MSU, the in-state price would rise to $6,622 including the already-slated tuition increase. That would be 7.6 percent above this year's tuition of $6,153.

Ole Miss raised tuition 6.8 percent before this school year, while MSU raised it 6 percent.